Imagine a grand hall filled with over 5,200 different cheeses from 46 countries! I saw it with my own eyes at the World Cheese Awards, which took place from November 13-15, 2025. Held in Switzerland for the first time ever, the 37th edition saw a record number of entries. Swiss cheesemakers had a fantastic day at the awards, earning hundreds of medals, as well as the biggest prize, given to an 18-month aged Gruyère AOP.

For the full list of World Cheese Award winners from Switzerland, click here.

Judging at the World Cheese Awards

Known as the largest cheese-only competition in the world, this event organized by the Guild of Fine Foods (UK) convened 265 judges in Bern. The judges were made up of leading cheese experts, such as affineurs, cheesemakers, buyers, retailers and journalists, among others.

Divided into teams of 2-3 people, together they faced a table of about 40-45 cheeses of diverse types. These teams evaluated the cheese in terms of its appearance, texture, smell (up to five points for each) and taste (up to 10 points). Judging blindly, they did not know where it came from or who made it. All they had was a brief description of the cheese. Every individual cheese had the potential to receive a maximum score of 35 points. The score determined the prize, whether it was bronze (23-26 points), silver (27-30 points) or gold (31-35 points).

A First-Time Judge Shares Her Experience

I spoke with Christin Dyrloev Caspersen, Global Head of Cheese at Switzerland’s Emmi Group and first time judge at the World Cheese Awards. In fact, she coincidentally just completed her training this fall with GastroSuisse to become a Swiss Cheese Sommelier. She felt it helped her greatly in terms of the technical skills needed to assess cheese.

When I asked her about any of the challenges she may have faced as a judge, she talked about pacing. “You have to ensure you have enough time to evaluate each cheese during the allocated 3-hour period.” At her table, she and her partner judge had a total of 45 cheese to taste and evaluate. They started by determining the order in which they would taste the different cheeses. Then, they removed them from their packages “so they all could breathe,” she said. She cut deeply into the cheeses, so they could examine every aspect of its appearance and texture, for example.

Christin and her judging partner had to come to a consensus on their scores for each of the cheeses, discussing their positions when there were differences, along with deciding which cheeses deserved a medal and why. In between the tastings, they would drink water and snack on apples and crackers to cleanse their palates.

Overall, she appreciated this once in a lifetime chance to taste so many different cheeses from across the world. She described cheesemakers as “artists,” because “you can see how much work and passion goes into making cheese.” In her opinion, a competition like this provides a platform where cheesemakers get to show off and demonstrate what they can do to an international audience.

The 14 Top Cheeses at the World Cheese Awards

All the teams that awarded at least one gold medal at their table sent the highest scoring gold medal winner to a Super Jury. Switzerland had 37 cheeses that earned this Super Gold award.

Of the 107 Super Gold cheeses considered by this jury, 14 finalists were sent on to be tasted and judged live on stage during the final award ceremony. The following eight countries had cheese in the final: Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Slovakia, USA, France (2), UK (3) and Switzerland (4). Here are the four cheeses selected from Switzerland:

• Gruyère AOP Vorderfultigen Spécial (18 months), Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen
• Königs-Chäs Rezent, Rüttiberg Käse AG
• Appenzeller® Edel-Würzig (9 months), Käserei Ifang
• Gantrisch Bergkäse, Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen

2025 World Champion Cheese

And, the winner of the World Champion Cheese? It’s an 18-month Gruyère AOP Vorderfultigen Spezial from Switzerland. Produced by Pius Hitz, cheesemaker and managing director of Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen in Hinterfultigen (Bern), this cheese won the championship by only one point. Second place went to a soft, rinded entry from France.

Impressively, Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen produced two cheeses that landed in the top 14. The second cheese is the Gantrisch Bergkäse, which came in fourth place. Not only that, but a Gruyère AOP from this same dairy won the top prize at the World Cheese Awards in 2022. At that time, Urs Leuenberger managed Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen, and Pius Hitz worked for him.

Converting Leftover Cheese into Energy

Where did all the uneaten cheese end up? Unfortunately, it had to be destroyed. The cheese imported from other countries, which may not be subject to the same food safety standards as in Switzerland, received special approval for consumption by the judges at the Festehall at BernExpo, but not for anyone else. While the Swiss cheese could have been eaten, the risk of contamination due to the potential for close contact with these international cheeses required that it also be destroyed. In fact, a representative from the Guild of Fine Foods told me the cheeses would be recycled, by converting them into energy for the local area.

At the closing of the awards ceremony, the presenters announced that the 2026 World Cheese Awards will take place in Cordoba, Spain.

Please note: I attended the World Cheese Awards in Bern as a guest of Switzerland Cheese Marketing.